The problem of what it means to be an “American” is one that several of these texts raise. In seeking to assimilate into a society that may not readily welcome them, writers who might be characterized as “other,” either due to race, religion, sexuality, etc., confront challenges to their sense of identity and subjectivity. Certainly, this theme is relevant to the work of Oskison and Zitkala-Sa. How do their texts address the problem of assimilation, and to what extent are the struggles they describe still relevant today?
